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Italian Jews in Turkey Alarmed

September 12, 1938
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Italian Jews living in Italy are anxious lest they lose their citizenship. Of the 600 families numbering 2,000 persons, 800 of the people are former citizens of Austria, Turkey and elsewhere who were granted Italian citizenship en Masse by special decree after the signing of the Lausanne treaty in 1923. While the Italian anti-Jewish decree mentions only Jews living in Italy, Libya and the Dodecanese Islands, nevertheless the fate of naturalized Italian Jews living abroad is not clear.

It is reported that Italian institutions in Turkey have been discreetly instructed to dismiss Jewish employes. This is denied by the head of the Fascists in Turkey, as well as the Italian Consulate, which itself has four high Jewish officials. The dismissal of Jews of Turkish nationality from Italian enterprises here is not believed likely since the Turkish Government would not tolerate interference with its principle of religious equality.

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